Keeping a Shared Bathroom Clean | Learn Danish in English

Danish lesson set in a contemporary Copenhagen everyday setting: In a shared bathroom, two adults talk about paper towels, the trash bin, and keeping the sink area clean..

EN → DA / Level: A1

About This Lesson

Use Keeping a Shared Bathroom Clean to practice Danish conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

Kan jeg bruge dette fælles badeværelse?

kan yai BROO-uh DEH-duh FEL-uhs BEH-thuh-VAIR-uhls-uh? Can I use this shared bathroom?
B

Det kan du, og hold venligst området ved vasken rent.

deh kan doo, oh HOHL VEN-lihst OHM-rah-duhth veh VAS-gən RENT. You can, and please keep the sink area clean.
A

Jeg har brug for et stykke køkkenrulle.

yai hah BROO for eh STU-keh KUR-ken-ROO-luh. I need a paper towel.
B

Der er nogle ved vasken.

dair air NOH-luh veh VAS-gən. There are some near the sink.
A

Skal det her i skraldespanden?

skahl deh HAIR ee SKRAH-luhs-PEN-dn? Does this go in the trash?
B

Læg det i den lille skraldespand.

LEH deh ee den LIL-luh SKRAH-luhs-SPAN. Put it in the small bin.
A

Jeg vil også hurtigt tørre vasken af.

yai vil OH-suh HOR-dee TUR-uh VAS-gən af. I will wipe the sink quickly too.
B

Det hjælper den næste person.

deh YEL-per den NES-duh peh-SOHN. That helps the next person.

Word by Word

Kan “Kan” asks for permission in “Kan jeg bruge dette fælles badeværelse?” It is also used in “Det kan du” to say that someone may or can do something; reuse the pattern “Kan jeg + verb?” when asking permission.
jeg “jeg” means “I” and is the person asking to use the bathroom in “Kan jeg bruge dette fælles badeværelse?” It commonly comes before the verb in a statement or question about your own action.
bruge “bruge” means “use” in “Kan jeg bruge dette fælles badeværelse?” It follows “kan” here; reuse “bruge + object” when saying that you use something.
dette “dette” means “this” and points to the bathroom being discussed in “dette fælles badeværelse.” It comes directly before the noun phrase it identifies.
fælles “fælles” means “shared” in “fælles badeværelse,” describing a bathroom used by more than one person. It can be placed before a noun to describe something shared.
badeværelse “badeværelse” means “bathroom” in “dette fælles badeværelse.” It is the place being requested in the question and can follow a describing word such as “fælles”.
Det “Det” refers to the situation or request in “Det kan du,” which means that the person may use the bathroom. Here it is the subject of the response and is written with a capital letter because it begins the sentence.
du “du” means “you” and refers to the person who wants to use the bathroom in “Det kan du.” It is used for the person being addressed, including in “Kan jeg ...?” replies.
og “og” means “and” and connects the permission with the request to keep the sink area clean in “Det kan du, og hold venligst området ved vasken rent.” It joins two related parts of a sentence.
hold “hold” tells the listener to keep something in a particular condition in “hold venligst området ved vasken rent.” It is used as a direct request here; reuse “hold + object + adjective” for a request about maintaining a condition.
venligst “venligst” means “please” and makes “hold venligst området ved vasken rent” a polite request. It can be placed with a command to soften the request.
området “området” means “the area,” specifically the area by the sink in “området ved vasken.” It is the definite form of “område” and is the object of the request to keep it clean.
ved “ved” means “near” or “by” in “ved vasken,” locating the area next to the sink. It commonly introduces the place near which something is located.
vasken “vasken” means “the sink” in “området ved vasken” and “nogle ved vasken.” It is the definite form of “vask” and identifies the nearby reference point.
rent “rent” means “clean” and describes the condition requested for “området ved vasken” in “hold venligst området ved vasken rent.” It follows the object here to state the condition that should be maintained.
har brug for “har brug for” means “need” in “Jeg har brug for et stykke køkkenrulle.” The whole construction expresses need: “har” contributes “has,” “brug” contributes “use,” and “for” links the need to what is required; reuse “Jeg har brug for + object” when saying what you need.
et “et” means “a” or “an” before “stykke køkkenrulle” in “et stykke køkkenrulle.” It introduces one unspecified item and comes directly before the noun phrase.
stykke “stykke” means “piece” in “et stykke køkkenrulle,” referring to one piece of paper towel. The reusable pattern “et stykke + material or product” describes one piece of something.
køkkenrulle “køkkenrulle” means “paper towel” or “kitchen roll” in “et stykke køkkenrulle.” It identifies what kind of piece is needed and follows “et stykke” in this phrase.
Der “Der” introduces the existence of something in “Der er nogle ved vasken,” meaning that some are by the sink. It commonly begins a statement that tells where something or someone can be found.
er “er” means “is” or “are” in “Der er nogle ved vasken.” Together with “Der” it states that something exists or is located somewhere.
nogle “nogle” means “some” in “Der er nogle ved vasken,” referring here to some paper towels. It can be used when the exact number is not specified.
Skal “Skal” asks whether something should go somewhere in “Skal det her i skraldespanden?” It is useful in the pattern “Skal + item + i + container?” when checking where an item belongs.
her “her” means “here” in the expression “det her,” which refers to this item in the speaker’s immediate situation. In this dialogue it helps identify the object being held or discussed, rather than naming a separate location.
i “i” means “in” or “into” in “i skraldespanden,” marking the trash bin as the destination. It commonly comes before a container or place when describing where something should be put.
skraldespanden “skraldespanden” means “the trash bin” in “i skraldespanden” and “den lille skraldespand.” It is the definite form of “skraldespand” and names the container for the item.
Læg “Læg” means “put” or “place” in the instruction “Læg det i den lille skraldespand.” It is used for a direct instruction and fits the pattern “Læg + object + i + place.”
den “den” means “the” in “den lille skraldespand,” introducing the specific bin that should be used. It comes before the describing word and noun in this phrase.
lille “lille” means “small” and describes the bin in “den lille skraldespand.” It is placed before the noun it describes.
vil “vil” expresses the speaker’s intention in “Jeg vil også hurtigt tørre vasken af.” It is followed by the infinitive “tørre”; reuse “Jeg vil + verb” to state what you intend to do.
også “også” means “also” or “too” and shows that wiping the sink is an additional action in “Jeg vil også hurtigt tørre vasken af.” Here it comes after “Jeg vil” and before the rest of the action.
hurtigt “hurtigt” means “quickly” and describes how the speaker will wipe the sink in “Jeg vil også hurtigt tørre vasken af.” It is an adverb that can describe the manner of an action.
tørre “tørre” means “wipe” in “tørre vasken af,” where the speaker says they will wipe the sink. After “vil,” it appears in the infinitive and is used with an object before “af” in this expression.
af “af” is part of “tørre vasken af,” indicating wiping something off or clean. It belongs with “tørre” here; reuse the full pattern “tørre + object + af” rather than using “af” alone for this meaning.
hjælper “hjælper” means “helps” in “Det hjælper den næste person,” explaining that the cleaning action benefits the next person. It can be used with the person or thing that receives the benefit after the verb.
næste “næste” means “next” in “den næste person,” identifying the person who will use the shared space afterward. It comes before the noun it describes.
person “person” means “person” in “den næste person,” the person who benefits from the clean sink area. It is the noun at the end of this specific noun phrase.

Grammar Points

har brug for + substantiv

Jeg har brug for køkkenrulle.

yai hah BROO for KUR-ken-ROO-luh.

I need kitchen roll.

The fixed expression har brug for means “need” and is followed by the thing that is needed.

Imperativ: verbets stamme

Læg det her i skraldespanden.

LEH deh HAIR ee SKRAH-luhs-PEN-dn.

Put this here in the trash bin.

The Danish imperative usually uses the verb stem without the infinitive ending -e.

Danish Vocabulary

badeværelse noun
BEH-thuh-VAIR-uhls-uh bathroom
Gender
neuter
bruge verb
BROO-uh use
dette det
DEH-duh this
Gender
neuter
fælles adj
FEL-uhs shared; common
har brug for phrase
hah BROO for need
hold verb
HOHL keep
jeg pron
yai I
området noun
OHM-rah-duhth the area
Gender
neuter
rent adj
RENT clean
Gender
neuter
vasken noun
VAS-gən the sink
Gender
common
ved prep
veh near; by
venligst adv
VEN-lihst please

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

Can I use this shared bathroom?

Show AnswerKan jeg bruge dette fælles badeværelse?

There are some near the sink.

Show AnswerDer er nogle ved vasken.

Does this go in the trash?

Show AnswerSkal det her i skraldespanden?

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

the area

Show Answerområdet

shared; common

Show Answerfælles

please

Show Answervenligst

bathroom

Show Answerbadeværelse